


Outnumbered

by RobinsonsWereHere



Series: I Swear to Love You All My Life [2]
Category: Psych
Genre: Babies, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Postpartum Depression, Shules, Toddlers, and now it's ALMOST 4K WORDS HOWWWW, househusband shawn, it was only supposed to be a drabble, this started as headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 14:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19336285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: After her third pregnancy, Juliet suffers from postpartum depression. When her therapist suggests that going back to work will help, Shawn is willing to do anything to support his wife's recovery. Including taking care of all four of their children at once.He's going to need to call in the reinforcements.





	Outnumbered

**Author's Note:**

  * For [myglassesaredirty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/gifts).



> Claire asked for fluffy headcanons and they got away from me. I promise this is fluffy, despite the premise :)

Henry gets a trampoline for his grandchildren shortly after Zoe’s first birthday. Of course, someone needs to supervise her, because regardless of the trampoline’s suggested age range, she is going to do anything Jake does. That’s the reason Shawn joins them. Not because he’s wanted Henry to get a trampoline since he was five. Juliet tries to stay out of it and shake her head in amusement from afar, but, as has been the case for over a decade now, she soon gets sucked into Shawn’s shenanigans. For about fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes of light bouncing, she abruptly dismounts the trampoline to lose her lunch over Maddie’s rose garden.

Their suspicions are confirmed a few weeks later. More than confirmed, actually. Shawn and Juliet had decided, a month or two before, that if they happened to conceive, one more kid might be nice. According to the ultrasound, they’re getting two more.

The pregnancy goes smoothly, until it doesn’t. At dinner one night, seven and a half months along, Juliet eats less than usual, brushing off Shawn’s concerns with some excuse about muscle cramps. When they’re washing dishes- or rather, when Shawn’s washing dishes and Juliet is trying to convince him that putting silverware away will not hurt her or their growing babies- she assures him it’s only braxton hicks contractions. By the time she’s stopping every few minutes to grit her teeth and breathe while reading Jake and Zoe their bedtime story, she knows it’s not.

Rory Carlton Spencer and Leo Henry Spencer are born at 8:43 am and 8:57 am, respectively, on April 21st, 2020. They are in incubators for two days before their parents can even hold them. Neither Shawn nor Juliet fully relax until they each get to hold a twin in their arms. It does not get easier from there.

Shawn hates that it takes him almost a month to ask his mother why Juliet is so quiet, why she doesn’t smile or kiss him or seek out their children as often. He hates that he’s failed for so long to really pay attention to his wife’s troubles. Maddie reassures him, saying postpartum depression isn’t exactly uncommon. There’s a good chance it’ll resolve on its own. So Shawn is a little more gentle, and more careful to watch Jules for signs of improvement or deterioration, but he waits. When they reach the end of her maternity leave and she’s nowhere near ready to go back to work, he stops waiting. He calls the therapist who had helped Jules so much after Yin- the second time, because it had taken far too long for her to agree to therapy- and she says that yes, postpartum depression is something she’s trained to help with.

He’s tempted to question the therapist’s own sanity when, after two months of appointments, she suggests Juliet go back to work. But Jules _has_ been steadily improving, and he understands how work, how being purpose-driven and doing things other than parenting all day, might help. So they agree. Juliet plans to go back to work.

\----- _August 2020_ \-----

Shawn holds Leo in one arm and Rory in the other, which means he cannot reach out to stop Jake from running circles around the kitchen. His oldest child takes his pilfered box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (this is what happens when Shawn does all of the grocery shopping) and crawls under the table, giggling. Shawn turns away from that just in time to keep Zoe from knocking her sippy cup off her high chair- and he doesn’t even jostle the twins.

And then his wife enters the room, and he forgets about any child-caused disasters at all.

Jules has her hair pulled back in a neat braid, and she’s wearing her standard workday makeup. Her posture is straight, and the look on her face says she’s ready for anything. She looks more confident, more hopeful than he’s seen her in months. He’s so in love.

When she sees the disaster zone that is their kitchen, she bites her lip. “Shawn, do you need help?”

He shakes his head. “No, Jules, don’t worry about us. Coffee?”

She smiles. “Shawn, you didn’t have to. I can tell you’re busy enough already.”

“I know. But I love you.”

Juliet actually initiates a kiss and Shawn is so surprised that he forgets to react for a second. It’s not just a peck, either. And when she leans back, she’s smiling. Actually smiling, not the thin upturn of her lips she’s been giving him for the past few months. It’s a small smile, but it’s there.

His wife grabs her coffee but hesitates once more on her way out the door. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Jules, you did this with Jake and with Zoe, too,” he reminds her, purposely leaving out the key difference about their third time around. “This’ll be good for you, love. I’ll see you tonight.”

Not five minutes after she leaves, Shawn calls Henry. “Dad, please tell me I can bring the kids over today.”

\-----

Gus is getting ready for a quiet day at the Psych office- his family is visiting his in-laws in Arizona- when his cell rings. “Shawn, what do you need?”

 _“I need you to meet me at my dad’s house,”_ Shawn answers. _”I have all four kids and I’m really not gonna be able to do this by myself- Zo, honey, maybe don’t throw your goldfish at your brother- or do. Whatever works for you.”_

“Having trouble there?”

_”Zoe and Jake are in the very back for the first time ever, and they’re loving it. Oh, crap, Jake is throwing things too. Okay, that’s applesauce. Gus, please meet me at my parents’ place.”_

Gus chuckles. He can tell they’re in for a long day. “Alright. I’ll meet you there.”

\-----

Maddie only gapes a little at the sight revealed when the doors of Shawn’s Ford Explorer open. She quickly gets over her shock and helps unbuckle Zoe from her car seat, ignoring the applesauce that smears over her when she lifts her only granddaughter into her arms. Gus and Shawn each take a (thankfully clean) twin, and Henry helps Jake out. Unsurprisingly, they look to her for directions. “Leave the car,” she orders. “Henry, you’re a pro at cleaning children by now, and Gus, you’ve been on the receiving end often enough. Could the two of you get Zoe and Jake clean?”

They agree and head for the garden hose, after Maddie and Gus trade children. Maddie turns to her son, smiling. “Have these boys eaten yet this morning?”

“Yep, Jules fed them when she got up.” He smiles, a small smile that’s more to himself than for her. “She had an alarm, and she set it. She wants to get better. That’s the first step, isn’t it?”

Maddie beams at her son. “It absolutely is, Shawn. Now, lets see about setting up those baby swings in the kitchen.”

As they’re settling Rory and Leo into the soft swings, Shawn turns to face her. “Mom, how come you didn’t send me out to clean off Zo and Jake with Gus?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Oh, Shawn. You know, I brought you to class with me when you were Rory and Leo’s age. You fussed a bit and some things were more difficult, but I couldn’t stand to leave you for too long. I bet you’ve felt the same way with all of your kids.”

“Yeah, Mom,” he says swinging Leo gently. “I guess I did. I guess I do.”

“Plus, it’s the first time you’re taking care of the twins without Juliet. It’s natural to not want them out of your sight.”

He nods. “You know that’s right.”

Maddie gives Rory one more fond smile before heading for the stairs. “Alright, I’m going to get towels for Zoe and Jake.”

\-----

Over the next few hours, things go smoothly.

Zoe is entranced by her brothers, and with Shawn’s guidance, pushes them gently in their swings. She babbles to them about playing in the hose with Uncle Gus, and Rory and Leo giggle and gurgle back. When they drop off to sleep, she toddles away down the hall to the dollhouse Henry had built when Jake was younger. She’s easily entertained by the dolls, which are wood based, with differently textured fabrics wrapped around them.

Jake has been reading for a while now, and Maddie coaxes him onto the couch with an early learner book. He points out words and strings them into sentences, looking to her to make sure he’s got them right. When he finishes that, she pulls out a big book of scenes. Maddie, Jake, and Shawn all pore over the colorful images, locating the things they have to find in each picture. Soon, Zoe joins them.

Mercifully, even lunch isn’t too bad. It starts with Shawn and Gus feeding the twins formula, while Maddie makes sandwiches and Henry entertains the oldest two. Zoe and Jake enjoy eating their sandwiches too much to start another food fight, so they munch happily and even when they’re done, everyone stays in the kitchen. Zoe starts drawing on a piece of paper while Shawn swings Jake in circles until he’s shrieking with laughter.

After lunch, of course, is naptime. And that’s when the trouble starts.

First, Jake flat-out refuses to take a nap. He runs all the way up the stairs, Shawn and Gus on his heels, before realizing he has nowhere else to go. Then he manages to lock himself in a linen closet. Henry goes to find they key, leaving Maddie with the other three children and Shawn drifting back and forth, uncertain of where he’s needed. When Henry fails to find the key after five minutes, Gus picks the lock. 

“Jake, buddy,” Shawn groans, scooping the screaming child into his arms. “You gotta take a nap. Look at you- you clearly need one.”

“No! I’m not tired!” Jake screeches and Shawn nearly claps a hand over his mouth. “Dude, not cool. Your brothers are asleep. Don’t wake them up.”

“But Daddy,” Jake draws the word out in a whine. “I don’t wanna nap!”

“Duck, you gotta rest up, so you can have even more energy for this afternoon.” Shawn tickles his son and swings him in the air. Jake forgets that he’s pouting long enough to make it to Shawn’s old room, where he lies on the bed.

Jake yawns. “Daddy, I’m super not tired.”

“Well, then,” Shawn offers, covering him with a quilt, “you can try to nap for twenty minutes, and it you’re still awake then, I’ll let you get up.”

Knowing full well that Jake will be asleep within the next five minutes, Shawn kisses his forehead and then leaves the room.

\-----

Gus has managed to rock Leo back to sleep, but Zoe is now pouting at him. “Uncle Gus, eat cookie?”

Shawn says that Zoe gets her puppy dog eyes from her mother. Gus is pretty sure it’s just a natural toddler ability. At any rate, the look on her face makes it hard to explain that right now it’s almost naptime and she can’t have a cookie because she’ll get all worked up about it.

“Nap no fun!”

“You have to take a nap so you can be ready to have fun,” Gus explains patiently.

“Gus, hold that thought!” Shawn comes running down the stairs. “I wanna see if we can make any potty training progress, since she just had lunch.” He turns to his daughter. “What do you think, Zo? Can you try to use your toilet?”

“Um, Shawn, maybe she should take a nap first… so we avoid any tantrums…”

“We’ll just try this real quick, Gus,” Shawn insists. He lifts Zoe into his arms and carries her to the bathroom.

Gus follows apprehensively. Zoe sits still for approximately thirty seconds before she gets fussy. “Don’t wanna!”

“C’mon, sweetie, just try for me,” Shawn pleads.

“No!”

“Zoe, you’re getting to be a big girl, don’t you want to be able to use the toilet?”

“Don’t hafta go!”

“One more minute, and then you can go have naptime.”

Zoe sits still as she’s asked… and promptly starts screaming. She’s not moving, and her screams aren’t even sort of words- this isn’t a tantrum, this is just petty revenge.

Gus turns to see Henry come up behind him, holding an awake and fussy Rory. “She gets that from you,” Henry informs Shawn.

Shawn groans and runs a hand through his hair. “Please tell me they’re not both awake.”

Henry nods. “Your mom has Leo.”

With a sigh, Shawn picks up Zoe off her toilet. “Okay, alright. I’ll get Zoe to go down if you three can try to handle the twins?”

Gus nods. “Good luck.”

\-----

Henry sits on the couch next to his son, watching how gently Shawn holds Rory. He’s holding him close, but not tight, his whole body kind of curling around him to keep him safe. Henry knows the feeling.

“How are you doing, Shawn?”

Shawn sighs. “I’ve been better. All four kids are a handful, even with help. Rory and Leo still aren’t sleeping through the night, so I’m not getting as much sleep as I should. Although, let’s be fair, I’m losing a lot of sleep worrying about Jules.”

Henry rests a hand on Shawn’s shoulder. “She’ll be okay, kid. She’s strong. And you said she’s already improved a lot, right?”

Shawn nods, still looking down at Leo.

“I’m not gonna tell you not to worry, because I know you will- that’s part of being in love. But I am gonna offer to hold that kid and I’ll give you a blanket and maybe you can take a nap now, too.”

Shawn smiles. “Thanks, Dad. I think I will.”

\-----

When the twins wake up, Shawn is still asleep. Maddie and Henry bottle feed Rory and Leo, leaving Gus to handle Jake and Zoe. They all end up at the big window that faces the beach, drawing over the glass with Gus’ window markers. Jake draws a palm tree and birds and a sun where he can see the actual sun. Zoe scribbles something reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting.

“Good thinking to bring those, Gus,” Maddie comments, burping Leo over her shoulder.

“Oh, thanks. They’re a hit with my crew at home, so I thought we could use them here.”

Henry comes in, holding Rory, who looks happy. “Alright, somebody please take this kid so I can go change into a shirt without baby vomit on it.”

Shawn groans and rolls off the couch. “Hand him to me, Dad.” Then he turns to Maddie. “Hey, I’ll hold both of ‘em for a minute if you can find the nice blanket. Since Gus has Jake and Zoe entertained, I think now’s a good time for tummy time.”

Tummy time goes well, with Jake and Zoe joining them after a few minutes. The twins roll around and squirm like they’re supposed to, and their older siblings are entertained both by the softness of the blanket and by watching their brothers curiously.

“Do you guys want to go to the beach?”

Shawn gives Henry a look.

“What? We can take them right down there, Rory and Leo will nap in the double stroller, and we can all get out of the house for a bit.”

“Good idea, dear,” Maddie says, giving Henry a smile. “I think I have some of their swimsuits in the laundry room. Shawn, Gus, can you two handle doing the sunscreen?”

Shawn and Gus cannot handle doing the sunscreen. Jake squirms and complains that it’s cold, and due to the slippery nature of sunscreen, he slides right out of Gus’ grasp several times before the process is done. Zoe throws a full-on tantrum, which causes Shawn to accidentally get sunscreen in her eye, and the tantrum escalates. Finally, Shawn carries her to the sink, rinses her eyes out, and then sets her on the counter, taking deep breaths with her until she quiets.

“Zoe, sweetheart, I know you don’t like sunscreen, but you have to wear it. It keeps you from getting sunburned. You and I both know that you’ll be even more upset if that happens.”

Zoe gives him the same pout, the same beseeching blue-eyed stare, as her mother. “Smells bad, Daddy.”

Shawn sighs. “Well, maybe after we use this stuff up we can get a different scent. C’mon, let’s get you in a swimsuit.”

\-----

Despite the hardships of preparation, their time at the beach is a lot of fun. Rory and Leo nap in the shade of their double stroller. Maddie sits in the wet sand with Zoe, building sloppy sandcastles. Henry relaxes in his beach chair, ready to respond to the twins but also watching Shawn, Gus, and Jake play tag.

“Augh, you got me!” Shawn collapses dramatically into the sand as Jake shrieks with laughter. Not ten seconds after he hits the ground, a wave sweeps over his head. He sits up, coughing and spluttering, as his family bursts into laughter.

“You’re it, Shawn,” Gus teases. Shawn gets to his feet and takes off after his best friend. Right before he’s about to tag him, Gus grabs Jake and holds the boy in front of him. “Human shield!”

“Gus, you know you’re supposed to be the human shield!”

“I’ve heard it both ways.”

They all end up horseplaying (safely, of course) in the sand until they tire out. As they lie there, small waves sometimes cooling them off, Zoe toddles over from her sandcastle, holding something in her hand.

“Daddy! Jake! Starfish!”

Shawn props himself up. “Well, look at that,” he says with a grin. “You did find a starfish!”

Jake and Zoe, with boundless toddler energy, leave the adults in the sand to run through the shallows. Shawn soon follows them, and then they put Jake in a life jacket and Zoe in her arm floaties and wade in deeper. When a large wave comes, Gus lifts Zoe above it. Jake, on the other hand, dives right through, with Shawn’s help.  
Maddie and Henry stay on the beach with the twins. When Rory and Leo wake up, the Spencer family takes that as their cue to head back to the house. While Maddie and Gus stick Zoe and Jake in a bath, Henry helps Shawn feed the twins.

“Hey, Shawn, are you guys staying for dinner?”

“Uh, I don’t know… I’ll have to check with Jules.”

“C’mon, I’ll grill some pork, and we’ll have a whole family thing. That way you and Juliet don’t have to worry about making dinner and Gus doesn’t have to go home to an empty house.”

“Okay, dad, that sounds good, but I don’t wanna push Jules too hard. I’ll ask her what she thinks.” Shawn lifts Leo over his shoulder to burp him and pulls out his phone to text his wife. _Do you want to have dinner with my parents?_

He sticks the phone back in his pocket, not expecting an immediate reply. “Alright, kiddo,” he says to Leo, “what do you think about sitting on the couch with some of your stuffed animals?”

\-----

As it turns out, Juliet is on board with coming for dinner. So while Henry prepares his pork tenderloin, Gus makes a salad, and Maddie lets Jake help her with lemonade. They worry a bit about Zoe feeling left out, but she’s perfectly happy to sit at the counter with a coloring book and babble to the twins, swinging in their baby swings.

Shawn slices pineapple for the lemonade but mostly leaves dinner prep to everyone else. The clock is ticking past five and he’s constantly glancing at the door, waiting for Juliet. And then, close to five-thirty, she arrives.

Shawn meets her in the living room, grinning when he sees the small, satisfied smile on her face. “How’d it go, Jules?”

She wraps her arms around him, leaning into his chest. “I did it, Shawn. I was worried that I’d just sit at my desk and worry about the kids, but I didn’t. Well, not the whole time. I did my job.”

He kisses the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

She tilts her head up for a kiss. “I’m tired, and hungry. What’s for dinner? Do the twins need to eat right now?”

“Pork and salad and lemonade. And yeah, it’s probably about time.”

Juliet settles on the couch, removing her heels and blazer and unbuttoning her shirt. Once the twins are nursing happily, Shawn stands behind her, playing with her hair. He takes down her bun and then runs his fingers through her curls. Jules melts into his touch.

“I love you so much,” he whispers.

She turns to look at him. “I love you too. I just… it’s so much harder to show it. It’s harder to do anything… I’m frustrated with the world right now.”

“I know, baby, I know. I’m here for you. And I can tell you’re getting better… do you feel better?”

“Yeah. But not all the way normal.”

“That’s okay, Jules. Baby steps.”

“Baby steps,” she repeats.

They both know they have a long way still to go. But that evening, when Shawn is holding hands with Juliet under the table, when Gus is telling a joke and Zoe is eating pork with her hands and his whole family is all there and all happy, Shawn looks around and realizes how far they’d already come.

They’re a family, and that’s all Shawn has ever wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> and we ended on a happy note. I hope you enjoyed it! leave a comment or kudos, if you want!


End file.
